Background
The Army Geospatial Center (AGC) Environmental Analysis Team conducts Geographic Information System (GIS) based Historical Photographic Analysis (HPA) of current, former, and closing U.S. military installations, training land, and other sites under federal responsibility. HPA are a geographic response to modern day concerns caused by historical activity that require the characterization of land use change over time. Analysts use historical aerial photography, and ancillary data, to reveal or refine potential areas of environmental concern for sites where activity is often obscured today due to the burial of material, rapid revegetation, structural deterioration, or dramatic changes in land use. These temporal or time-based studies provide clues for identifying Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste (HTRW), unexploded ordnance (UXO), landfill locations, shoreline changes, and surface features (i.e., rock fractures) that shape the movement of contaminants. HPA allow customers to focus restoration and remediation efforts, resulting in significant cost avoidance.
The Environmental Analysis Team supports the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP), Installation Restoration Program (IRP), Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP), Superfund program site investigations, and other federal requirements. GIS allow a customer to view multi-layer, "time-sequenced" data in a digital environment. Access to key government, private, and academic repositories in the National Capital Region, as well as regional repositories close to the project site, equips our team with a wealth of historical information to create a comprehensive understanding of all activities at a site. Increased site awareness leads to thorough planning, focused restoration and remediation efforts, and significant cost avoidance.
Points of Contact
Customer requests for information are handled by the Environmental Analysis Team: (703) 428-3626
, ENVIRONMENT@usace.army.mil.
Historical Photographic Analysis Request Form: https://www.agc.army.mil/Home/HPA-Request-Form/